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Thursday, December 3, 2009

You could be part of the 13 person Citizen's committee that will advise Common Council on the new Municipal Plan.Committee members will meet regularly over 2 years.Jacqueline Hamilton of the City's planning department tells CHSJ news council decides on who will make up the committee. The new Municipal plan will guide development in the City for the next 25 years.You have to include a letter and resume outlining your interest in the committee.The deadline for applications is December 11th.To apply, go the City of Saint John website.http://www.cityofsaintjohn.ca/

They say it is important to watch what your children are doing on a computer and this next story proves it. 41-year old Robert Vanbuskirk of Moncton is facing several charges in connection with luring a child over the internet. He was arrested yesterday in the hub city as part of an ongoing investigation by the RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit.

Their investigation began on June 21 when Moncton RCMP received a complaint. The child was not physically harmed and did not come in contact with the suspect. Vanbuskirk will be back in court tomorrow afternoon for a bail hearing.

There is declining H1N1 activity in all areas of the Province. That from the Chief Medical Officer of Health issuing it's latest statement concerning the pandemic. 171 people have been hospitalized since April and 27 people have been isolated to intenstive care and seven people have died. Over 177,000 new doses arrived this week and over 92,000 are expected to arrive next week.

Mass immunizations clinics will continue until the 16th at which by that time, they hope to have given the shot to everyone looking for it. Even after the clinics finish up, shots will still be available to those who want it. Total cost of the program is expected to be $17.3 million......half of the original estimate.

There is NO H1N1 Clinic at the Carelton Community Center today. We have spoken to the director who tells us close to one hundred people have shown up looking to get immunized. The clinic at the community center is scheduled to go tomorrow between nine and nine. There are how-ever a pair of places to get vaccinated in Greater Saint John today.

There is a clinic at the Rothesay Baptist Church running until nine o'clock tonight. They other one is in Coles Island at the Lions Club which gets started this afternoon at one and runs until seven o'clock tonight.

The Province isn't wasting any time in spending some of the cash announced in Tuesday's budget. There is going to be a major over-haul of nursing homes including 11 that will be replaced by new buildings, two new nursing homes will be built and several will undergo major expansions. This includes the Loch Lomond Villa that will add 250 beds to it's current set-up over the next five years.

The total investment is $400 million dollars and means 297 new nursing home beds will be created around the Province. All of the construction work will get started in the spring with completion dates set for between 2016 and 17.

The man known as the Fighting Fisherman is one of two sports legends that will be honored with a virtual exhibit honouring two of the Province's sports icons next week. It will celebrate the Golden Anniversaries of Willie O'Ree and Yvon Durelle and the important contributions both made to the Province's sport heritage.

The Saint John Board of Trade's Women in Business Forum has finished wrapping toiletry items for their eighth annual "Bare Necessities" campaign.
The goal of the campaign is to provide women's shelters, food banks and other organizations packages containing the 'little but necessary' personal care items, just in time for the holiday season.
Going on vacation or a business trip? The next time you find yourself in a hotel room, don't forget to bring home the complimentary items available to you from every hotel - shampoo, soaps, lotions, etc.

The waitlist for drug addicts seeking methadone treatment is now just over 20, down from over a hundred during the summer. Dr. Tim Christie says there are 150 people currently using the uptown methadone clinic, and nearly 350 people in Saint John receiving treatment.Dr. Christie says addicts who do not get treatment generally fall into old habits.Since becoming Police Chief---Bill Reid has been vocal about his support for more methadone clinics in the city, and says the more people getting treatment can be related to a decrease in crime.Dr. Christie says once a person becomes addicted to opiates, they display drug seeking behaviours, which are generally illegal in order to fund their drug habits.

City Police have two men in custody after a man was approached on Charlotte Street with a weapon being produced. police say the suspects tried to force him into an alley but he managed to get away unharmed and nothing was stolen. The two were picked up later on.

The statistics for break and enters and motor vehicle thefts are hitting a 10 year low this year.Deputy Police Chief Daryl Scribner says the number of break and enters are down 27 per cent, while motor vehicle thefts are down 15.5 per cent. Scribner says the decreases can be traced back to intelligence led policing, which looks at patterns between crimes in the city. The department has bi-weekly crime control meetings with every officer in charge, and while looking at the suspects for the drug investigation Operation Portland, one officer noticed they were the same people involved in domestic violence cases.Scribner says looking at patterns, and connections of crimes in the city is helping reduce criminal activity. He says next year there will be a focus on decreasing the amount of assaults in Saint John.

A slight increase in the price of gas following the weekly setting. The maximum price for self serve regular is 102.4. It's selling around town for 102.1 a litre, an increase of just under a penny. The maximum price for diesel is 104.9 but is going for 103.2 a litre in Saint John, a rise of just over a cent from last night. Heating oil is at 88.2.